School social workers in Topeka Public schools are instrumental in providing a caring environment for teaching, learning and for the attainment of competence and confidence. They are trained professionals who assist with mental health and behavioral concerns, positive behavioral support, academic and classroom support, and consultation with teachers, parents and administrators.

Here are some ways in which they plan to assist students and staff as the 2020-2021 school year starts:

• Visit families who need information and support regarding health, food, shelter, Medicaid and other community services.

• Refer families to community agencies for resources.

• Create materials in collaboration with counselors for parents regarding their COVID-19 concerns and how to deal with them.

• Share materials with parents in collaboration with social-emotional behavior specialists on how to talk to their children about managing change and feelings during times of stress.

• Coordinate services with other related service providers in the schools and community to identify and address other student and adult needs.

• Provide socially distant parental information meetings either in person or online regarding what the school is doing to keep students safe.

• Deliver resources – with safety measures in place - as needed to families.

Prevention and intervention are the mainstays of Topeka Public Schools Counseling Department. Counselors address the academic, personal/interpersonal, career exploration and post-secondary planning of every student.

Here are some of the actions the counselors plans to take for the 2020-2021 school year:

• Consult with classroom teachers about student needs and develop classroom guidance lessons as appropriate to the age and grade level.

• Teach or co-teach social-emotional learning strategies to help students adjust to the changes in their environments.

• Check in with all students as they return to school to assess their level of functioning.

• Provide individual counseling to students who express fears, loss, anxiety and/or signs of depression.

• Refer students to outside counseling as needed.

• Provide safe, socially distanced group counseling.

• Co-teach lessons on depression symptoms and warning signs and offer resources to families.

• Check in with staff to determine their mental health needs and work with Employee Assistance as needed.

• With building nurses, provide professional development for staff on issues related to COVID-19 and stress management.

• Provide staff development with a focus on how teachers should talk to students in an age-appropriate manner about the possibility of a return to home isolation.

• Create professional development for staff regarding typical childhood reactions to stress and trauma that might have resulted from home isolation.

• Establish “safe rooms” as needed within each facility for counseling service.

• Work with local, state and national organizations to assure our district is using best practices of return-to-school or remote school counseling.

TPS will consult with IEP and 501 teams to adapt student plans to meet emerging student needs. For more information regarding your student, please reach out to the the building administrator.

Website Information for Parents/SEL

Social emotional learning curricula help students learn skills to navigate through life challenges in and out of the classroom. Students learn meaningful lessons in emotion management, situational awareness, and academic achievement. When students participate in social emotional learning, they learn to make better decisions, set goals, collaborate with others and much more. All of these skills help students gain confidence.

Topeka Public Schools has adopted Social Emotional Learning programs at each grade level. Parents and caregivers are important partners in teaching social emotional learning. More information about these programs are below:

Second Step, used in Pre-K through 8th grade: https://www.secondstep.org/

Second Step SEL is research-based, teacher-informed, and classroom-tested to promote the social-emotional development, safety, and well-being of children from Early Learning through Grade 8. The research-based Bullying Prevention Unit gives educators and school staff the training and tools needed to effectively address school bullying in Kindergarten through Grade 5. Preschool students learn how to pay attention, remember directions, and manage their behavior. Elementary students learn how to make friends, manage their emotions, solve problems, and deal with peer pressure. Middle school students participate in a program that helps build a culture of connectedness and empowers middle schoolers with the skills and concepts to succeed socially, in academics, and in life.

Second Step has many resources for parents and caregivers to use during remote learning. Many of these resources are also available year round. Examples are: The Imagine Neighborhood Daily Adventures podcasts which are problem solving activities for Grades K–5, the ParentTeen Connect which helps parents and teens work through hot button topics together or The Grow Kinder (at Home) Podcasts which are designed help educators and families through the dramatic changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information about resources for parents and families, visit: https://www.secondstep.org/covid19support

https://www.secondstep.org/second-step-social-emotional-learning https://www.cfchildren.org/podcasts/

Olweus Lifelines, used in grades 5-12

Lifelines: A Comprehensive Suicide Awareness and Responsiveness Program for Teens is an evidence-based program for addressing suicide among young people. Lifelines is a whole-school program that educates administrators, faculty and staff, parents, and students on the facts about suicide and their roles in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.

The goals of Lifelines are to increase the likelihood that

• members of the school community can more readily identify potentially suicidal adolescents, know how to initially respond to them, and know how to rapidly obtain help for them

• troubled adolescents are aware of and have immediate access to helping resources and seek such help as an alternative to suicidal action

• For more information visit: http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/lifelines.page

Olweus Class Meetings that Matter, used in grades 9-12.

Class Meeting that Matter is an easy-to-use program for high school teachers and students with engaging, thought-provoking ideas and topics to conduct meaningful class meetings. Each class meeting outline contains the following four components: an Introduction, one or more: Activity options, Discussion Questions, and Wrap-Up. The primary purpose of class meetings is to establish communication among all members of a class and improve peer relationships. Information is not the only focus; instead, the process in a class meeting is central—particularly allowing ample time for students to share their feelings and opinions, assess options, and suggest solutions as they learn how to follow the rules, interact as a community, and handle bullying situations appropriately. Topic categories include: Building a Positive School and Classroom Climate, Confronting Bullying, Building Positive Relationships, Understanding and Managing Feelings, Respecting Differences. Communication and Technology and Serving the Community/Reaching Outward. Topics, while related to bullying, are intended to focus on a much broader range of concepts and skills aimed at building student relationships.

For more information about Olweus Class Meetings that Matter and other programs, visit:

http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/bullying.page

http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/bullying_tips_for_parents.page

Cyberbullying: A Prevention Curriculum, used K-12th grade.

Cyber bullying is bullying through emails or instant messages, in a chat room, on a Web site, or through digital messages or images sent to a cell phone. Cyberbullying: A Prevention Curriculum raises awareness of what cyber bullying is and why it is so harmful, equips students with the skills to treat people respectfully when using cyber technologies, gives students information about how to get help if they or others are being cyber bullied, and helps parents know what to do to keep their children safe from cyber bullying.

Program Goals are:

• Raise students' and parents' awareness of what cyberbullying is and why it is so harmful.

• Equip students with the skills and resources to treat each other respectfully when using online tools.